STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The year 1974 marked the end of the Nixon Administration and the inaugural edition of People magazine.

It also represented the year a now-retired 68-year-old school aide from Great Kills began using a bogus name to bilk the Social Security Administration of almost $220,000, allege prosecutors.

Audrey Mann, of the 4200 block of Amboy Road, illegally received $219,309 in Social Security disability benefits between 1974 and February of this year, court papers stated.

She also has obtained benefits for several years using her "real" Social Security number, after retiring from the city Department of Education, court documents continued.

A law enforcement source said the scheme recently unraveled when officials matched one of Ms. Mann's addresses in her files to that of a relative.

Her lawyer contends it's all a "misunderstanding" and that Ms. Mann will repay Social Security any benefits to which she wasn't entitled.

"She is legally disabled," said attorney Mario F. Gallucci.

According to court papers, the scam's roots trace back more than a half-century to 1959, when Ms. Mann obtained a Social Security number. She was 16 at the time.

Using a phony name under that number, the suspect began applying for Social Security disability benefits in 1974.

Over the next 37 years, Ms. Mann collected about $500 each month in illegal benefits, the source said.

The suspect deposited the cash into a bank account set up under the relative's address, the source said.

Gallucci said his client filed claims for two injuries under her married and maiden names. Mann is her married name.

"This is a misunderstanding between Ms. Mann and Social Security disability benefits," said Gallucci. "We are in the process of resolving the matter with the Social Security Administration. I believe it will be resolved imminently with Ms. Mann paying back the excess disability benefits she received."

The suspect was arrested Wednesday and arraigned in Stapleton Criminal Court on felony charges of second-degree grand larceny and making a false written statement, according to a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.

She was released on her own recognizance and ordered back to court on Dec. 8.

If convicted of the grand larceny count, she could face a maximum of five to 15 years in prison.